Just bought a Samsung SSD ext drive for photo storage. Laptop will not recognize it. I have a couple other Samsung SSD, and it recognized it without any downloads.I plug it into USB connection, and nothing. Does not ask me to download anything - just shows my C-drive, an internal F-drive which is the original build internal storage. It should show H-drive, or some letter drive like the others do when I plug it in. Any clues? Not very tech smart Monkey, so dumb it down please. Thanks M44ASUS laptop, i7 Core, Win10 Pro ... 200GB free space remain. I shut it down and re-started with USB engaged. Still nothing. Bought it from B&H photo but it is closed until 10/12 ... or would call them. :(

Look in CONTROL PANEL/ADMINISTRATIVE TOOLS/COMPUTER MANAGEMENT. On the next window, under STORAGE click on disk management. The middle column will show all the drives on the computer. Assuming you can see the drive, sometimes drive letter administration doesn't work correctly and your SSD might want to use drive F (not H) but it is already in use. You can assign a new letter to the SSD. When I do this I usually use letters near the end so it doesn't get overwritten.Obviously if it is not showing there are other problems.

You might also try a different USB slot. I have an external hard drive that only works on one USB port on my Asus. Different USB type I imagine.Dave

As mentioned, my guess is either the external SSD drives needs to be formatted or even first partitioned?Right-mouse click on WIN 10 Start icon, and select 'Disk Management'. Check first to see if the drive shows up?

The free tool, Samsung Magician might help. Sounds like a bad USB port?

Looks like a format issue ... the newest SSDs might not auto-format like the others. My USB drive works with other Samsung SSD, so I'd think not that. Disk Mgmt does not recognize it exactly, but a label shows as Disk 1 in Disk Mgmt window, I think. Will try format it tonight. As a part of the process it tells me it needs a drive designation, so will name it if possible. Thanks guys, more to come :)And, yes, I saw that Magician program on Samsung site, but did not download it. If format does not do it, will try that.

SSD Storage | Good Sam Community

SteveB
Explorer
Oct 02, 2020
Look in CONTROL PANEL/ADMINISTRATIVE TOOLS/COMPUTER MANAGEMENT. On the next window, under STORAGE click on disk management. The middle column will show all the drives on the computer. Assuming you can see the drive, sometimes drive letter administration doesn't work correctly and your SSD might want to use drive F (not H) but it is already in use. You can assign a new letter to the SSD. When I do this I usually use letters near the end so it doesn't get overwritten.
Obviously if it is not showing there are other problems.
magicbus
Explorer II
Oct 02, 2020
You might also try a different USB slot. I have an external hard drive that only works on one USB port on my Asus. Different USB type I imagine.

Dave
1492
Moderator
Oct 02, 2020
As mentioned, my guess is either the external SSD drives needs to be formatted or even first partitioned?

Right-mouse click on WIN 10 Start icon, and select 'Disk Management'. Check first to see if the drive shows up?
GordonThree
Explorer
Oct 02, 2020
The free tool, Samsung Magician might help. Sounds like a bad USB port?
monkey44
Nomad II
Oct 02, 2020
Looks like a format issue ... the newest SSDs might not auto-format like the others. My USB drive works with other Samsung SSD, so I'd think not that.

Disk Mgmt does not recognize it exactly, but a label shows as Disk 1 in Disk Mgmt window, I think. Will try format it tonight. As a part of the process it tells me it needs a drive designation, so will name it if possible. Thanks guys, more to come :)

And, yes, I saw that Magician program on Samsung site, but did not download it. If format does not do it, will try that.
GordonThree
Explorer
Oct 02, 2020
Is this a bare drive SSD you put in your own enclosure, or a legit Samsung external SSD? I own several Samsung external SSD, they all arrived correctly formatted.

Maybe a counterfeit?
opnspaces
Navigator II
Oct 02, 2020
I think you already have the answer. But yes, as suggested use disk management and make sure it's formatted and assign a drive letter that is not already in use.
monkey44
Nomad II
Oct 02, 2020
GordonThree wrote:
Is this a bare drive SSD you put in your own enclosure, or a legit Samsung external SSD? I own several Samsung external SSD, they all arrived correctly formatted.

Maybe a counterfeit?

No counterfeit - been using this company for over ten years - takes pride in 'no grey market' products or anything not OEM. Infrequently gets a deal - but reveals it as a deal up front.

And, yes, an internal SSD I installed in the proper enclosure. Might mean the enclosure connection needs a digital bump ... will try the disk format first. Thanks ... M44
Bobbo
Explorer II
Oct 03, 2020
While not SSD's, I took the hard drives out of my last two laptops and put in enclosures to make 1TB external drives. I had to use Disk Management to assign them drive letters before they would be recognized. Since you made this drive external, I bet you have the same problem.
AllegroD
Nomad
Oct 03, 2020
SteveB wrote:
Look in CONTROL PANEL/ADMINISTRATIVE TOOLS/COMPUTER MANAGEMENT. On the next window, under STORAGE click on disk management. The middle column will show all the drives on the computer. Assuming you can see the drive, sometimes drive letter administration doesn't work correctly and your SSD might want to use drive F (not H) but it is already in use. You can assign a new letter to the SSD. When I do this I usually use letters near the end so it doesn't get overwritten.
Obviously if it is not showing there are other problems.

^^^^^ This.
Also note in disk management that some new drives need to be 'Initialized' and 'formatted', before OS will recognize.

Forum Discussion

SSD Storage

About RV Must Haves

Related Content

Tailgate storage

Kayak storage?

Food Storage

Storage

Hitch storage